NHL Trade Deadline Affects AHL's Rosters, Post-Season Race

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The NHL's trade deadline passed Friday at 3 p.m. and there were plenty of moves made with direct implications on shaping the American Hockey League's (AHL) finish to the 2024-25 regular season and race toward the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Any player on an NHL roster when Friday's 3pm ET trade deadline passed is ineligible to play in the AHL for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs

REMINDER: The AHL's trade/loan deadline is next Friday, March 14 at 3 p.m. ET.

Players that can be moved before the March 14 deadline:

AHL-contracted players

NHL-contracted players who were on AHL rosters when the NHL trade deadline passed at 3pm ET.

Standings entering Saturday night's games on March 8, 2025

Atlantic Division

Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)54GP, 34-15-5, 73 pointsFirst Place

The Washington Capitals made some moves Friday, acquiring Anthony Beauvillier from Pittsburgh for a 2nd round draft pick.

The Capitals placed Jakub Vrana on waivers in an attempt to get him through to AHL-Hershey, but Vrana was claimed by Nashville Thursday.

At this point, the back-to-back champions roster is what it is - and perhaps similar to when an NHL team is leading the charge you don't need to make any major additions.

Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins)55GP, 32-17-6, 70 pointsSecond Place

The Boston Bruins shook things up in a major way Friday, trading Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.

But they also made several moves affecting their AHL affiliate in Providence, acquiring forward prospect Fraser Minten from Toronto in part of the return for defenseman Brandon Carlo.

Boston also made several players available to AHL-Providence Friday, notably recently acquired forward Marat Khusnutdinov as well as forwards Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri, Matthew Poitras and Riley Tufte.

The Bruins also assigned defenseman Ian Mitchell to Providence ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline - ensuring all would be able to play in the AHL at any point during the remainder of the 2024-25 season and playoffs.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)53GP, 30-15-8, 68 pointsThird Place

Pittsburgh was active leading up to the trade deadline, trading defenseman Vincent Desharnais to San Jose, forward Michael Bunting and a 2026-4th round pick to Nashville, forward Anthony Beauvillier to Washington, Cody Glass and Jonathan Gruden to New Jersey and a late-round draft pick to Toronto.

The Penguins also flipped Luke Schenn, who they acquired Thursday from Nashville as part of the return for Bunting and the 2026-4th, sending Schenn to Winnipeg for second and fourth round picks.

In return the Penguins acquired defenseman Connor Timmins, forwards Thomas Novak, Conor Dewar, Chase Stillman and a 2025-2nd round pick, a 2026-2nd round draft pick, a 2027-3rd round draft, 2027-4th round pick and a 2028-5th round pick.

While Gruden is a big loss for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as one of the team's assistant captains and leaders both on and off the ice, Stillman will join WBS looking for a fresh start as the former 2021-1st round pick was in his second pro season with the Utica Comets where the 21-year-old recorded just nine points (three goals, six assists) in 46 games after tallying 14 goals and 10 assists in 54 games as a rookie.

From a numbers standpoint, the WBS Penguins escaped Pittsburgh's trading of pending UFA's without seeing any bodies removed as two forwards and a defenseman were traded off the NHL roster and two forwards and a defenseman were brought in at the NHL level.

Pittsburgh also placed goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Emil Bemstrom on the WBS roster prior to the 3pm ET trade deadline, allowing both to be able to play with the AHL Penguins at any point in the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Boko Imama wasn't placed on waivers Thursday, so he wasn't assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - meaning he will be finishing the year in the NHL.

Charlotte Checkers (Florida Panthers)52GP, 30-16-6, 66 pointsFourth Place

The Florida Panthers swapped goaltenders with the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, with the Panthers sending Chris Driedger to the Jets in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen.

Kahkonen was assigned to AHL-Charlotte Friday ahead of the trade deadline.

The Charlotte Checkers lost forward Patrick Giles in the Panthers' trade with San Jose to acquire goalie Vitek Vanecek.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers)56GP, 28-21-7, 63 pointsFifth Place

Philadelphia was active at the NHL trade deadline Friday, with their biggest move likely benefitting the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the short term.

The Flyers traded Scott Laughton (50% retained) to Toronto Friday along with 4th and 6th round picks in exchange for a conditional 2026-1st round pick and forward Nikita Grebenkin.

Grebenkin, in his first full season in North America, has nine goals and 12 assists in 38 AHL games with the Toronto Marlies and no points in seven NHL games with the Leafs.

Philadelphia also traded defenseman Erik Johnson to Colorado in exchange for Givani Smith, assigning Smith to Lehigh Valley before Friday's 3pm ET deadline.

The Flyers also moved Andrei Kuzmenko (50% retained) to Los Angeles for a 2027-3rd round pick and loaned goaltender Aleksei Kolosov to the Phantoms prior to Friday's 3pm ET trade deadline, thus making him AHL-eligible for the rest of this season/playoffs.

Philadelphia called up defenseman Emil Andrae and forwards Rodrigo Abols and Olle Lycksell, but after the 3pm ET trade deadline as to not affect their ability to play in the AHL.

Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues)54GP, 28-20-6, 62 pointsSixth Place

Blues GM Doug Armstrong confirmed in his post-trade deadline media availability that forward Zack Bolduc was assigned to AHL-Springfield ahead of the 3pm ET trade deadline.

St Louis called up 24-year-old defenseman Matthew Kessel prior to Friday's 3pm ET trade deadline, meaning Kessel is in line to finish the 2024-25 season in the NHL.

Hartford Wolf Pack (NY Rangers)57GP, 23-27-7, 53 pointsSeventh Place

The New York Rangers were still active at the NHL trade deadline, trading forward Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights.

AHL-Hartford was directly impacted as forward Brendan Brisson (2020-1st round) was part of the return for Smith, and Brisson joins the Wolf Pack as they look to get back into a playoff spot in the division.

Defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and forwards Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann were also assigned to AHL-Hartford Friday to make them AHL eligible for this spring.

The Rangers also traded Erik Brannstrom to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Nicolas Aube-Kubel, with Aube-Kubel reporting to AHL-Hartford.

Bridgeport Islanders (New York Islanders)55GP, 12-37-6, 30 pointsEighth Place

It's been a miserable season for the Islanders. There's no other way to cut it.

The New York Islanders trading longtime forward Brock Nelson, along with Bridgeport forward William Dufour, to Colorado for a 2026-1st round pick, 2028-3rd round pick and 20-year-old former 1st rounder Calum Ritchie injects a high-end prospect into the Islanders' system heading into next season.

The Islanders also completed an AHL-level trade before the deadline, acquiring forward Adam Beckman from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Dennis Cholowski.

Goaltender Jakub Skarek and forward Marc Gatcomb were assigned to Bridgeport to allow them to return to play in the AHL this season.

North Division

Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens)54GP, 36-15-3, 75 pointsFirst Place

For Laval, Montreal loaned goaltender Jakub Dobes and forward Owen Beck prior to Friday's 3pm ET trade deadline - making both AHL eligible for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and postseason.

Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)54GP, 34-15-6, 74 pointsSecond Place

The Buffalo Sabres made several trades Friday, but kept their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans roster mostly intact.

The Sabres made an AHL-level trade with the New York Rangers, acquiring defenseman Erik Brannstrom in exchange for forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets)55GP, 28-17-10, 66 pointsThird Place

Mikael Pyyhtiä was loaned to AHL-Cleveland Thursday, and forward Joseph LaBate was loaned to Cleveland on Friday afternoon.

Columbus also loaned defenseman Denton Mateychuk to Cleveland prior to the trade deadline, ensuring Mateychuk will be AHL eligible for the Monsters this spring.

Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)54GP, 28-17-9, 65 pointsFourth Place

It was a tough NHL trade deadline for the Marlies, who see forward Nikita Grebenkin join the Philadelphia Flyers organization and center Fraser Minten (2022-2nd round, 38th overall) join the Boston Bruins organizations after the NHL club bolstered their roster for the Stanley Cup Playoffs - acquiring defenseman Brandon Carlo and forward Scott Laughton.

Toronto acquired forward Reese Johnson from the AHL's Iowa Wild (via Minnesota) in exchange for future considerations to add depth to the AHL Toronto Marlies' roster after they lost Grebenkin and Minten in trades Friday afternoon.

Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators)53GP, 26-19-8, 60 pointsFifth Place

Belleville lost forward Zach Ostapchuk to San Jose in a trade, adding AHL-San Jose forward Tristen Robins in return.

Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay)54GP, 23-19-12, 58 pointsSixth Place

The Tampa Bay Lightning assigned veteran forward Cam Atkinson to AHL-Syracuse Wednesday as well as Logan Brown, but the NHL team's trades to bolster their roster mainly used draft picks as to not affect the AHL roster.

Tampa traded forwards, sending Jesse Ylonen to Nashville in exchange for Anthony Angello last week in the only other move affecting the Crunch roster.

Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils)54GP, 23-25-6, 52 pointsSeventh Place

Trying to get into the playoffs after losing their first 13 games of the season, Utica faces an uphill battle.

But New Jersey has made a host of moves directly affecting Utica's roster, hoping to find them the right mix to make a push for a playoff spot.

Most notably, the Devils acquired forward Daniel Sprong for a 7th round pick and assigned him to AHL-Utica.

The Devils also executed several AHL-level trades Friday, including:

Forward Adam Beckman to New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Dennis Cholowski

Forward Chase Stillman (Max Graham and a 2027-3rd round pick) to Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Jonathan Gruden (and Cody Glass)

Defenseman Daniil Misyul to Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Marc McLaughlin

Central Division

Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators)56GP, 29-18-9, 67 pointsFirst Place

The Nashville Predators made a plethora of moves leading up to Friday's deadline, assigning several players to AHL-Milwaukee to make them AHL eligible for the spring and postseason.

Defensemen Marc Del Gaizo and Spencer Statsney as well as forwards Kieffer Bellows, Jake Lucchini, Fedor Svechkov and Ozzy Wiesblatt were on the AHL roster when the 3pm deadline came and went.

Earlier last week, Nashville swapped forward Anthony Angello for Jesse Ylonen for AHL-Milwaukee.

Texas Stars (Dallas Stars)52GP, 32-17-3, 67 pointsSecond Place

Dallas was able to make a monumental move in acquiring Mikko Rantanen from Carolina, but ultimately it comes without affecting the Texas Stars' roster.

The Stars did assign 2022-1st rounder defenseman Lian Bichsel to AHL-Texas ahead of Friday's deadline to make him eligible to participate in the remainder of the AHL's 2024-25 regular season and 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)56GP, 29-21-6, 64 pointsThird Place

Detroit assigned forward Elmer Soderblom to AHL-Grand Rapids ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline to make him eligible to play in the AHL the remainder of this season.

Chicago Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes)53GP, 27-23-3, 57 pointsFourth Place

The Carolina Hurricanes assigned defenseman Riley Stillman to AHL-Chicago prior to Friday's deadline to ensure his AHL eligibility this spring.

Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks)54GP, 23-25-6, 52 pointsFifth Place

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Aku Raty, defenseman Victor Soderstrom and the contract for Shea Weber from Utah Friday, assigning Raty to Rockford.

The Blackhawks also assigned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro and forward Colton Dach to Rockford prior to Friday's 3 pm ET NHL trade deadline, ensuring their AHL eligibility for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Iowa Wild (Minnesota Wild)55GP, 20-31-4, 44 pointsSixth Place

The Minnesota Wild assigned defenseman David Jiricek and forwards Brendan Gaunce and Devin Shore to AHL-Iowa prior to Friday's trade deadline.

Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets)53GP, 19-30-4, 42 pointsSeventh Place

Outside of acquiring Chris Driedger in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen, it was a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Manitoba Moose.

Pacific Division

Coachella Valley Firebirds (Seattle Kraken)56GP, 32-18-6, 70 pointsFirst Place

Seattle loaned defenseman Cale Fleury and forwards Jacob Melanson and Ben Myers to AHL-Coachella Valley ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)52GP, 30-14-8, 68 pointsSecond Place

Newly acquired forward William Dufour joins the AHL Colorado Eagles, while Givani Smith was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for veteran defenseman Erik Johnson for the Avalanche's roster.

Calgary Wranglers (Calgary Flames)56GP, 30-20-6, 66 pointsThird Place

Calgary was quiet on trade deadline day, but they did assign forward Adam Klapka to their AHL affiliate to ensure his AHL eligibility for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)53GP, 31-18-4, 66 pointsFourth Place

The LA Kings assigned defenseman Brandt Clarke to AHL-Ontario to make him AHL-eligible for the Reign's run toward the postseason.

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)55GP, 29-20-6, 64 pointsFifth Place

The San Jose Sharks continue to rebuild, and they also made several moves to ensure their AHL affiliate is primed for success in the Pacific Division.

Acquired via trades entering the weekend, San Jose assigned forwards Carl Berglund (Jake Walman trade to EDM) and Zack Ostapchuk (Fabian Zetterlund trade with OTT) to the Barracuda in addition to making sure defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin, Jimmy Schuldt and Jack Thompson and forward Collin Graf were on the AHL roster Friday when the NHL trade deadline passed.

Abbotsford Canucks (Vancouver Canucks)54GP, 28-23-3, 59 pointsSixth Place

The Vancouver Canucks were relatively quiet on trade deadline day, trading veteran defender Carson Soucy to the New York Rangers for a third round pick.

It looks like highly touted prospect forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki was loaned to Abbotsford as was defenseman Victor Mancini and goaltender Arturs Silovs.

Tucson Roadrunners (Utah HC)54GP, 27-22-5, 59 pointsSeventh Place

Forward Cameron Hebig cleared waivers after being signed to his NHL contract by Utah and was assigned back to AHL-Tucson.

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)52GP, 23-20-9, 55 pointsEighth Place

The Edmonton Oilers assigned defensman Cam Dineen back to Bakersfield Friday after his emergency recall to the Oilers during the week.

Recently acquired forward Max Jones was called up to Edmonton on Wednesday, though

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)55GP, 22-25-8, 52 pointsNinth Place

Anaheim assigned forward Sam Colangelo and goaltender Ville Husso to AHL-San Diego prior to the NHL's trade deadline

Henderson Silver Knights (Vegas Golden Knights)55GP, 22-30-3, 47 points10th Place

Henderson lost 2020-1st rounder Brendan Brisson via trade to the New York Rangers, as a disappointing season for the Vegas Golden Knights AHL affiliate has the Henderson Silver Knights out of realistic playoff contention in the Pacific Division.

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